One day in September of the sixth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi fell into the palace due to illness. Li Desheng, a doctor too much, led many people to consult Lafayette and thought that his illness was caused by weakness of the spleen and stomach. After discussion, many doctors prescribed eight prescriptions for Lafayette: Poria cocos, Euryale euryales, lotus seeds, Coix seed, Chinese yam, lentils, malt and lotus root starch, each two, which were ground into fine powder, added with sugar and mixed with water, and made into a cake named "Jianpi cake". After eating this cake for a few days, the symptoms of "Lafayette" completely disappeared, the appetite increased greatly and the whole body became stronger. "Galeries Lafayette" changed the name of "Jianpi Cake" to "Bazhen Cake" as soon as he was happy.
"Bazhen cake" is not "Bazhen paste"
Bazhen cake, like Bazhen ointment, is a good medicine for treating diseases in traditional Chinese medicine, with only one word difference, but there are essential differences between them.
Xiao Mo simply summarized the difference between them as: different formulas, different functions, different shapes and different tastes.
First of all, the formula is different. The formula of the former includes eight Chinese herbal medicines with the same medicinal and edible origin, such as hawthorn, Poria cocos, Euryale euryales, Coix seed, white lentils, malt, yam and lotus seeds. The latter is composed of Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Chuanxiong, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Ginseng Radix, Atractylodis Rhizoma, Poria, and Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata, and is a combination of Sijunzi Decoction and Siwu Decoction. In terms of efficacy, the former has the effects of promoting digestion, invigorating spleen and promoting diuresis, while the latter focuses on invigorating qi and blood; From the appearance, the former is similar to cakes, while the latter is thick paste; In terms of eating method, the former is soft and sweet, just like ordinary cakes, and can be eaten as snacks. The latter should follow the doctor's advice, take a spoonful with a small spoon and dissolve it in hot water before taking it.
The Continuation of "Bazhen Cake" in Strange Times
Strange time eight treasures cake is very distinctive, not only delicious, but also has the effect of strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach. The reason is that most cakes are equipped with Chinese herbal medicines with the same origin of medicine and food, and each kind of medicine will be processed with special care. Take hawthorn as an example, raw hawthorn tastes sour and has the function of moistening intestines, and the hawthorn that makes Bazhen cake must be burnt hawthorn, so as to turn the moistening intestines of raw hawthorn into invigorating spleen and appetizing. The frying method of burnt hawthorn seems simple, but ordinary medical workers can't do it. If you fry too much, it will become charcoal. If fried too late, you can't remove the smoothness and sour taste of raw hawthorn. It must have been made by an old master with years of experience. Coix seed must be used. Coix seed has high medicinal value and has the effects of whitening, detumescence, dampness and detoxification. We use fried yam instead of raw yam, and each batch should be fried with wheat bran, which has a very good effect on cough with excessive phlegm, spleen and diarrhea, spleen and kidney deficiency and obesity. Nowadays, the eight treasures cake is a thing worthy of inheritance and persistence for strangers. In my spare time, I try my best to control the selection and production process of Chinese medicine.
Shang Mo Shibazhen cake is made of Chinese herbs with mild properties. All the herbs are ground into fine powder and steamed repeatedly, which not only ensures the full play of the drug effect, but also does not affect the taste of the cake.